The News Briefs are a twice-weekly collection of happenings around campus, published with each print issue of The Heights.

Postponements

The heavy snowfall on Monday and Tuesday caused the University to close, and subsequently cancel any events scheduled for these days. Among those cancelled was the “After Ferguson” panel discussion, part of the series of race-oriented dialogues that has been scheduled by the Jesuit Institute for the spring semester. The Jan. 28 installment of the Lowell Humanities Project was also cancelled. Sheri Fink, author of Five Days at Memorial, was scheduled to speak in Gasson 100, but the new date, location, and time, will be announced in the near future. The first event in The Happiness Project was also cancelled. Five students and Rev. Michael Himes were set to speak in Cushing 001 at 8 p.m. on Jan. 27, but the talk has been moved to Monday, Feb. 2.

Snowball Fight

The winter storm Juno dumped 24.6 inches of snow on Boston, causing schools around the city to cancel classes on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Tuesday afternoon, an enormous snowball fight—organized by Anthony Perasso, LSOE ’17, of The New England Classic—took place in the Mod Lot, with over 2,000 people “attending” the event on Facebook. “After creating the snowball fight event in my dorm room, I think I know just how Mark Zuckerberg felt when he invented Facebook,” Anthony Perasso, LSOE ’17, said. “There was an incredible turnout, and it was hilarious how all-out people went with flags and costumes.” Students climbed on top of large mounds of snow, hoisting flags and sleds. Although the BCPD largely kept out of the way of the students, they intervened when students began to use the piled snow to climb on top of the Flynn Recreation Complex.

Flags Raised

Participants at the Modlot snowball fight used the Rising Sun Flag—a traditional Japanese symbol for “good fortune” first adapted by the Japanese Imperial Army in 1870—in their game of Capture the Flag. As images of the event were posted on the Internet, the use of the flag drew criticism from several BC students and alumni, concerned about the relation between the flag and the acts of the Japanese army with World War II. “Yeah … nice touch Heights. Good to see a symbol of oppression used as a whimsical rallying cry. SMH,” commented Jay Lee, LGSOE ’07, on a Facebook post. Although still used today by Japan’s military—and in some cases waved at Japanese sporting events—the flag is also associated with Japanese nationalism and is sometimes likened to the German Swastika for its use in WWII.

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Gus was the Assistant News Editor for The Heights in 2015. He has since moved to the business side as the Collections Manager and plans to make The Heights lots of money. You can follow him on Twitter @gusmerrell.